1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of electronics and pertains particularly to methods and apparatus for controlling a track lighting system.
2. Discussion of the State of the Art
In the field of agriculture, indoor gardens with artificial lighting are leveraged to incubate and grow a wide variety of plants for the consumer market. Plants in an indoor garden are subject to temperature control and controlled artificial lighting adapted to mimic natural sunlight.
Some proprietors of indoor gardens employ motorized track lighting systems, termed light movers, to incubate and grow plants as opposed to fixed lighting systems. One advantage of a moving lighting system is that more garden area can be covered using fewer lamps and power. The track lighting systems constantly move over the garden area back and forth to give the plants uniform coverage.
A problem with current light mover systems is that they waste a lot of light and power relative to the energy that the plants can produce for growth (photosynthesis adenosine triphosphate or (ATP)). The constant back and forth motion of conventional light movers acts to change the photo (light) level striking the plants leaves. As a result, the plant's photo response is turned on and off much like an electronic switch. Many plants like corn, for example, require two to three hours of direct sunlight in order to grow to full potential.
Through the well-documented process of photosynthesis, plants convert photo energy striking their main water leaves into plant energy (sugar) to promote new cell growth. For corn and many other plants direct sunlight must be present for two to three hours daily. Current track lighting systems do not duplicate nature's arching photoperiod (the period of time that sunlight is available to the plants). Therefore the plants do not grow to full potential, and experience uneven growth rates and may appear stunted and spindly.
Therefore, what is clearly needed is a system for controlling a motorized track light system with preset timeouts. A system such as this would better duplicate natural and direct sunlight and help plants grow indoors to their full potential.